Testing of a 1.5-m single-phase short-sample cable made with copper laminated HTS tapes at ORNL

The use of high temperature superconducting (HTS) materials for power transmission cable applications is being realized in several utility demonstration projects. Tape testing on short-sample cables is conducted to determine the suitability of HTS tapes for use in different cable designs. Testing includes determining the DC critical current, ac loss and overcurrent behavior in a wound cable configuration. The short-sample cable configuration is similar in physical respects, such as winding diameter, winding pitch, application of dielectric, to a practical length cable. With more attention being paid to the short-circuit fault protection, the over-current pulse behavior of the cable will be tested thoroughly. The temperature history of the cable in the radial direction and the re-cooling of the cable will be monitored and compared with a model calculation. This paper describes the testing and results from one such series of tests of a short-sample cable made with copper laminated HTS tapes for use in future projects.